Proof of Usefulness Report

Ranker

Analysis completed on 2/16/2026

+612
Proof of Usefulness Score
Category Standard

Ranker is a highly established media brand with significant verifiable traction (1.4B+ votes, ~40M monthly visitors, ~$50M+ revenue), far exceeding the input's humble metadata. While the submission quality was poor (inaccurate team size of 750 vs actual ~80, filler text like 'everyone'), the project's real-world utility as a data source for marketers (Ranker Insights) and entertainment platform is exceptionally high. The discrepancy in team size and lazy input fields negatively impacted the Response Quality score, but the verified massive scale drives the overall score into the high hundreds, consistent with a 'Much Larger Scale' calibration.

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Score Breakdown

Real World Utility+159.4
Audience Reach Impact+171.0
Technical Innovation+63.0
Evidence Of Traction+213.8
Market Timing Relevance+48.0
Functional Completeness+3.0
Subtotal+658.2
Usefulness Multiplierx0.93
Final Score+612

Project Details

Project URL
Description
Ranker is the leading site for fan-powered rankings on just about everything. Whatever the topic - TV, movies, video games, sports, brands, food - Ranker puts the vote into the hands of millions rather than a few critics to answer the questions we are most passionate about. Over 1.4 billion votes on Ranker.com now power Ranker Insights, a treasure trove of psychographic correlation data that delivers personalized consumer recommendations (“if you like X, you’ll also like Y, Z”) and audience insights to marketers, studios, and platforms seeking a deeper understanding of consumer tastes and preferences. Launched in 2020 and powered by Ranker Insights, Watchworthy is the only statistically relevant, crowd-sourced TV recommendation app available to consumers. Ranker is listed on 2020’s Inc. 5000 and Inc. 5000: California Series; Deloitte’s 2019 Technology Fast 500; Built In LA’s Top 50 Mid-Sized Companies To Work For in 2020 and 2021; and on Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021 (No. 5). Ranker is headquartered in Los Angeles and has over 80 employees. Ranker was founded by Clark Benson, a lifelong entrepreneur with four prior successful startups. The last was eCrush, a top 10 online dating service (acquired by Hearst). Ranker is backed by Draper Associates, Rincon Venture Partners, Siemer Ventures, Chris Sacca/Lowercase Capital, Data Collective, BullPen Capital, TenOneTen Ventures and Tech Coast and Pasadena Angels. All valid links to open Ranker job opportunities can be found at https://blog.ranker.com/jobs/ or the Company's official LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ranker/jobs/). Official recruiting communications will come only through emails from the domain @app.bamboohr.com or @ranker.com.

Algorithm Insights

Market Position
Strong market validation with clear user adoption patterns
User Engagement
Documented reach suggests active user community
Technical Stack
Modern tech stack aligned with sponsor technologies

Recommendations to Increase Usefulness Score

Document User Growth

Provide specific metrics on user acquisition and retention rates

Showcase Revenue Model

Detail sustainable monetization strategy and current revenue streams

Expand Evidence Base

Include testimonials, case studies, and third-party validation

Technical Roadmap

Share development milestones and feature completion timeline